LEE Clark is hoping his recent acquisitions will help keep star striker James Vaughan at Bury.

After scoring 24 goals in a struggling Shakers side, Vaughan has attracted plenty of interest and Clark revealed the club had turned down a number of bids for their prized asset.

But boss Clark claims he is under no pressure to sell, despite last week’s decision to release striker Tom Pope to open up the way for a move back to boyhood club Port Vale.

Pope was deemed surplus to requirements after the capture of Jermaine Beckford, and with the recent acquisitions of Phil Edwards and Stephen Dawson Bury have sent a strong message to the rest of League One that they mean business.

“We are not naïve, James is going to attract attention,” Clark said. “We have had enquiries and derisory offers, which the owner has turned down straight away without a second thought. I’m under no pressure from the owner to sell him. I don’t want him to go.

“We are trying to bring these signings in to show James we are ambitious and want to get into the Championship.”

Clark accepts there will be interest in other members of his squad, which includes young prospects George Miller, Callum Styles and Scott Burgess.

But again, the Shakers boss is not looking to offload his young stars, unless the price is right.

Clark added: “In terms of selling, you are looking at people like James Vaughan or our excellent young players.

“The only way these sort of deals will happen is if we get deals we cannot turn down.”